This invention is directed to a vegetable pea sheller and more particularly to an improved separator outlet member through which the peas exit from the pea sheller after being shelled.
This improved pea sheller separator outlet member is adapted to be substituted for the outlet member used in the pea sheller device set forth in applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,877 which patent is incorporated herein by reference. In addition to the prior art cited in the above patent the following patent is of interest, namely, U.S. Pat. No. 854,443.
U.S. Pat. No. 854,443 shows a grain assorter having a rotary drumhead provided with crimped plates forming a trough shape, which when assembled about the periphery of the drumhead form assorting pockets. This structure establishes a tortuous path for the material to be sorted and will cause clogging. In addition, while susceptible of sorting various sizes of kernel, e.g., corn, the device is not designed to shell vegetables which grow in pod-like formations, such as peas, by separating the pod from the pea.
In operation of the known pea sheller, the peas ar picked from the field and placed into the drum of the pea sheller, the outer periphery of which is formed by the separator outlet members. The opening to the drum of the pea sheller is closed and the drum is rotated at a rate of about 25 rpm. The drum includes agitator elements therein which are rotated at about 430 rpm to assist in separating the peas from the shell as the shells with the peas therein drop onto the agitator elements and the drum and agitator are rotated. The separator outlet members of the patented device are made with a plurality of 3/4 inch round elbow-shaped openings aligned along the length of the separator outlet member through which the peas are to pass to the outside of the drum to then fall onto a shaker for collection. The known sheller separator outlet member having the 3/4 inch elbow shaped openings tend to become clogged at times and require considerable time for the peas to exit from the drum. Therefore, the known sheller does not operate with a high efficiency.